Exploring Photography as a Contemplative Practice from a Taoist Perspective

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Open Yourself to the Mystery...

Mystery is what happens to us when

we allow life to evolve rather than

having to make it happen all the time.

- Joan Chittister

The Gift of Years

The Empty Chair

Human beings are rational, fact-based creatures on the whole. We need to know and to explain everything. Of course, that obsession for getting to the truth of things has brought us far over the millenniums but in the quest to answer every question, we have lost the appreciation of the mysterious side of life; the acceptance of the unknowable; the joy in the hidden energy of existence.

So much of Taoism is rooted in this acceptance of the mystery...being open to the natural flow of life without needing to direct the outcome. I see contemplative photography that way as well. Part of my process is to simply let go and allow the mystery to unfold and enfold me. Why am I drawn to a place? Why am I urged to take my time and absorb the energy of the landscape? You must ask yourself if you are content to skip over the surface, like the flat stone thrown from the shore, or do you desire to sink below the surface to experience the hidden truths, the true mystery behind the veil?

This doesn't mean you need to "know" the landscape, as a geologist or a botanist would. You can simply revel in the mysterious energy of place and see what it can teach you. You can always recognize those for whom this mystery is most important. They don't walk through a landscape with their nose in the guide book but, rather, with their face turned towards the sun and wind or they simply sit quietly and still content with just being there. The former will get the facts, no doubt, but the latter will absorb the essence, the true sense of place.

So much of life, I think, is mystery and I prefer to keep it that way. I will get where I need to go and I'll receive the images I need to receive - that's enough for me.

1 comment:

Patricia, I don;t recall if I recommended an extraordinary book on "seeing" by Henri Bortoft, called "The Wholeness Of Nature"? It is ostensibly about Goethe's vision of nature, but as all spiritual guides are, it is so much more! I have a feeling it would find a special place on your shelf: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wholeness-Nature-Conscious-Participation/dp/0940262797/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371648949&sr=8-1&keywords=wholeness+of+nature

Welcome to A Photographic Sage!

This blog explores the juncture of contemplative camera work and the search for a way of photographing the world around us through the characteristics of the Taoist sage. For the Contemplative Photographer, the camera is viewed as an extension of a persons heart and mind and the resulting photographs as a visual, and highly personal diary of experience and expression. Where traditional photography focuses on subject and technique, Contemplative Photography makes the connection between meaning and personal experience the over-riding emphasis. This blog will delve into the metaphoric capabilities of the photographic medium. I welcome readers to join in the discussion on Contemplative Photography by posting your comments . Thank you for visiting and enjoy the journey! - Patricia TurnerVisit my Pinterest boards for more inspiration or you can pin these latest ones directly to your boards. - Visit Patricia's profile on Pinterest.

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Field Guide for the Contemplative Photographer

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Patricia Turner

I live in an old farmhouse in the mountains of Western Maine with my philosopher in residence, Emerson. (A sweet cat that tolerates my long hours of reading and writing.) When I'm not in Maine I'm traveling the world. Follow my travels on:

A Summer Sojourn to the Hebrides

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